lies || cedric diggory - under heavy editing

chapter vii

Three days after the first task, Professor Sprout had gathered every single sixth year in her house outside the greenhouse. The gardens was large enough to accommodate them and was open enough so that the chattering in between the divided groups wasn't so loud. Camellia, on the other hand, was quiet as ever. She sat near one of the potted plants that she had brought back from the muggle world, fiddling with the roses like she always does. Lilia was aware her friend wasn't in the mood for company, if she had been, her aura would have been welcoming and needy. But sadly, not today.

She had come to announce the annual ball the school was holding in honor of the TriWizard champions. She specifically asked for them to act with charm and decorum, and vowed that if any one of her students were to behave like first years, she would toss them out the Black Lake and feed them to whatever monstrous creatures lurked under there. So when Curtis Donovan had snickered and laughed, mocking the professor, her attention was instantly on him.

"I assume that Mr Donovan knows how to waltz?"

Camellia watched with amusing eyes at the sight of her brother, his expression filled with disgust, and fought back the urge to giggle.

"Now gentlemen, on your feet and invite one of the ladies to dance momentarily." Professor Sprout ordered.

Her hand tightened around Curtis' when she noticed none of her pupils were willing to stand up and asked the girls to dance, not even for practice. Merlin helped them, what would happen to them if it was the actual event. With a hiss, the professor let Curtis go and began to pair them up one by one, not caring if they were even fond of each other. When she was quite satisfied, she finally turned back to the Donovan boy.

Cedric cleared his throat while he stood in front of the brunette, her eyes stuck on the ground rather than on him. He hesitated on reaching out for her hand or grabbing her waist or maybe even tilting her head up just to look at him. How was he able to stay calm now? When the music began, the male gently held on to her hand and pulled her towards him, his palm resting on her waist. As much as he wanted to keep a decent amount of space between them, Cedric didn't want to make a fool out of himself by looking uncomfortable in the presence of Camellia Donovan. So, he followed Professor Sprout's steps with ease, thanking every saint and angel in heaven that Camellia wasn't acting up.

"Don't be too tense, girls, relax into their hands. Don't be too edgy." The professor advised and Cedric laughed quietly.

He had to do something about Camellia's stance by now. She looked like she was a walking pole with all this tension. Sure, Cedric knew she was uncomfortable with him being her partner temporarily, but the female needed to loosen up. The female's hands were clammy and the muscles under his palm was ready to snap.

"Hey." Cedric mumbled, which caused her to look up.

Cedric huffed a sharp breath, knowing their faces were so close. Her eyes were still a sharp blue with just a bit of green in them, and her lashes were long and dark. And the light discolouration across her nose, the galaxy of freckles just above her cheekbones, only visible if one stood just at the same distance as he was now. The male absent-mindedly traced them with his fingers and she relaxed, like a rag doll now being embraced by him.

Camellia was led into another dance, this time Cedric moved with a flow fluid enough to rival that of water. He moved as his body told him to and didn't dare look at anyone, but then again, it felt like no one was watching. The female twirled in his hands lightly, moving with charm and elegance like a dandelion in the breeze. They were stuck in their own world, completely unaware of the eyes that watched them whirl in the courtyard.

"This is getting interesting." Professor Sprout muttered, her finger-tips pressed against her lips at the sight before her.

Curtis couldn't agree more. So it wasn't over, he thought to himself and continued to watch, softly tapping his fingers to the tune of Elvis Presley's iconic love song. Their house head had been furious when she heard the tune, but instantly changed her mind when she saw two of her most beloved students merge into one just by the melody.